Dry seal pressure type gasholder



Jan. 29, 1952 J. H. WIGGINS DRY SEAL PRESSURE TYPE GASHOLDER Filed Nov. 18, 1947 FIGI.

FIGZ.

INVENTOR, JOHN H. W/GGlN-S BY ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 29, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,583,981 DRY SEAL PRESSURE TYPE GASHOLDER John H. Wiggins, Chicago, Ill. Application November 18, 1947, Serial No. 786,579 2 Claims. (01. 48-178) This invention relates to dry seal, pressure type gas holders, and particularly. gas holders of the kind in which the dry seal or flexible, gastight sealing means between the piston and the side wall of the holder co-acts with a backing and reinforcing structure composed of or comprising an annular backing member attached to and projecting upwardly from the top side of the piston, and a vertically-shiftable, annular backing member arranged between the casing side wall and the above-mentioned backing member on the piston, the function of said backing and reinforcing structure being to assist in controlling the shape or form assumed by said flexible sealing means, and absorb forces exerted on said sealing means by the gases confined in the holder.

Co-pending application Serial No. 752,434, filed by John W. Allen on June4, 1947, now Patent 2,555,767, issued May 29, 1951, discloses a dry seal gas holder equipped with a backing and reinforcing structure of the kind above mentioned, and my invention has for its main object to provide a gas holder of the general kind above mentioned, whose side wall is equipped with an inspection walk-way located on the interior of the casing of the gas holder in a position where it is adapted to serve as a convenient and easily accessible run-way or supporting structure for workmen engaged in inspecting the gas-tight joint between the flexible piston sealing means and the vertically-movable backing member for said sealing means.

Another object is to provide a dry-seal, pressure-typegas holder that is equipped with an internal walk-way or run-way of the kind above mentioned, which also serves as a wind girder for the casing side wall that is located on the interior of the casing.

Another object is to provide a gas holder which is of such construction that, in the event of an internal explosion, the gases resulting from the explosion will be efiectively vented from the casing of the holder without rupturing the roof and/or side wall of the casing.

And still another object of my invention is to provide a gas holder whose casing sidewall has an outwardly ofiset upper portion that forms a space for housing a vertically-movable weight which forms part of a leveling mechanism for the piston. Other objects and desirable features of my invention will be hereinafter pointed out.

Figure 1 of the drawings is an enlarged, fragmentary, vertical sectional view of a dry seal, pressure-type gas holder constructed in accord- W? i h my v n i n; a

Figure 2 is a vertical, transverse sectional, diagrammatic view of said gas holder.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one form of my invention, the reference characters I and 2 designate the upper portion and the lower portion, respectively, of the stationary side wall of a gas holder casing, and 3 designates the roof of the casing. The piston A, which reciprocates vertically in said casing, forms the top wall of the space or chamber of the apparatus, in which the gases are stored, and the annular space between the piston and the side wall of the casing of the holder is sealed by a so-called dry seal usually made of gas-tight fabric, or other suitable flexible material, and

. constructed in such a manner as to provide for said member.

the rise and fall of the piston A. In order to prolong the life of the above mentioned flexible, gas-tight material, the gas holder is equipped with a plurality of annular, concentrically-arranged abutment members that co-act with the above-mentioned dry seal during the cycle of operations of the apparatus, to absorb forces exerted by the gases on the dry seal and also causes said dry seal to assume a more or less predetermined shape or form during the rise and fall of the piston. In the apparatus herein illustrated the dry seal is composed of two flexible elements I and 5, and the means that absorbs forces exerted by the gases on the dry seal is composed of two concentrically-disposed annular abutment members 6 and l of different diameter, arranged in telescoped relation in such a manner that during the cycle of operations of the piston, the member 6 will move vertically relatively to the member I, the member I being rigidly attached to the piston A and projecting upwardly from same, and the member 6 being arranged between the member I and the side wall casing of the holder. 1

As shown in Figure 2, the flexible sealing element t has one of its edges attached to approximatelyf the middle point of the lower portion 2 of the casing side wall, and the other edge of said sealing element 4 is attached to the bottom edge of the abutment member 6 at a point on the outer side of said member, 1. e., on the side face of said member presented to the casing side wall. The flexible sealing element 5 has one of its edges attached to the inner side of the abutment member 6 (the side face presented to the piston A) at a point above the bottom edge of said member, and the other edge of the sealing element 5 is attached to the bottom edge of the piston abutment member I on the outer side of The above described co-acting,

'fiexible sealing elements and fendersare so prov j; 2,; Q51 2,689,981

member 6, and presses the flexible sealing element 5 snugly against the outer face of the pis ton abutmentmember I. During the'first portion of the upward stroke of the piston, the member 6 remains at rest, and the member Tonthe ton, which is of less heightoridepth than themember 6, moves vertically relatively to said 7 member 6 until the top edge of the piston'ine'rhher 1 comes into engagement with laterally-projecting bracliets or arms son the member 6 that overhang the member I. Thereafter, during the continued upward movement of the piston, "the member 6 moves witli'the piston and remains in fixed relationship with the'me'mber I onthe pis ton; By the time the piston has, reached the end of its upward stroke, as shown in Figure 2, the internal pressure of the gas storage space has stripped the flexible sealing element 4' off the member fi and forced said sealing element into snug engagement with the upper half of the lower portion 2 of the casing side wall, and said'inte'r- 'nal pressure has also stripped the fiexiblesealing element 5 off the piston abutment member I and forced said sealing element into snug engagement with the inner face of the vertically-shiftable abutment member 6. i

In a structure of the kind above described, it-

is necessary to examine the jointor connection between the sealing element 4 and member 6 at frequent intervals,- so as to ascertain whether said joint'is in a gas-tight condition; Oneof the main objects of my invention is te enable such inspections to be easily made while the gas holder is in service, and I attain this highlydesirable resultby outwardly off-setting the upper portion I of the side wall relatively to the lower portion 2 of said side wall, and arranging an inspection walk-'vvay or jrun w'a'y B at the lower end of said offset portion. When the piston is at or adjacent thefend (if its upward stroke, as shown in Figure the wa1e-way B is located adjacent the bottomedgeof the vertically-shift-- able abutment member 6; Said walk-way "ea tends (:ontinuously' around the circumference of the casing side wall, and as it-is located on the exterior of the gas storage space-it permits Workmen standing on same to easily andsafely inspect the joint between-the sealing' element 4 and the member 6 while the gas holder is ii -service and nearly full-:- The particular manner in which the '7 inspection walk w'a'y B is constructed is immate rial, so far 'a'srn'y broad idea is cencefnedybut' I prefer to" build it so that it functionsas a air cu'mferential'wind girder for the casing side wall.- It can be conveniently constructed at 'a-lo'vv cost from a horizontally-disposed plate or wesmefnberltack-welded to the outer side-bf the lower portion 2 of'the'side wall, preferably at a point 4 rupture the side wall and/or roof of the casing, I prefer to provide the walk-way B with vent openings of relatively great area, and also form an annular ventilating opening I3 between the roof 3 of the casing and the top edge of the outwardly-offset upper portion I of the side wall of the casing. In the drawings, the walk-way B is illustrated as being provided with vent openings 9 that are located-highenough-above the bottom edge of the "upper half I'o'f the casing "side wall to preclude the possibility of rain being blown inwardly through the vent openings in the walk- .wa-y 13; Instead of building the walk-way B in the form of a plate girder provided with ventilat: ing openings 9, said walk-way can be constructed .in the form of; alatticed girder, whose open spaces constitute ventilating openings for the casing of theholder. The weight of the roof 3 and of the upper half I of the side Swall of the casing of the gas holder; is carried by Vertically-disposed posts I0 attached to the exterior of the lower portion;

, 2 of the side wall, and provided with laterally;

' ricating" the structure.

projecting tie members II attached to the ofiset upper portion I of the si'de wall. a As shown in Figure 1:, a hand rail I2 is attached to the posts. ID at a convenient distance above the Walk way or more in width, depending upon the size of the 7 gas holder-.- I

In gas holders of the kind in wall'of the casing is reinforced and: strengthened.

by an annular girderor. equivalent member extending circumferentially around the side wall, it is the usual practice to arrange said reinforcing member on the exterior of the casing and corn nect said member to the casing by a continuous welded joint, so as to elirninatethe possibility of;

rain running down between the reinforcing mem= her and the casing, andin time, producing streaks.

in the paint, used toprotect the outer surface I make it possible to join the reinforcing member to the casing. side wall by tack-welds instead of. a continuous-weld, and in this way,I reduce. the

amount of welding by about twe thirds, thereby effectinga considerable saving in the cost of fab or of the casing that extends circumferentially around the side Wall-greatly simplifies the opera slightly below the top edge of said portion manatack-welded to the innerside of the upper portion I of the side wall, preferably at a peint slightly above the'bottom edge of said portion;

' In-orderto permit'gases that are created the casing t e result or aninte'r'nal expiesicn, t'o escape 1 rapidly froni' 1the casing, and l thus not tion of inspecting joints in the piston sealing: means thathavelto be oarefully 'exa'mined at:

frequent intervals, and offsetting the upper portion of the casing side wall providesan u n-' obstructedspace on the. interior of the casing Patent is:

l. A gas holder, comprising a casing having a side wall whcse uper screen is olfset outwardly relatively to the lowerjjend of "said wall, a 'ver:

tically-mov'able piston in said casing-a vertically movable, annular backing member's-arranged' in the space'between the 'piston and the casing side wall, a coacting annular'1backing member on the topside o'f'the piston, disposed inteles'copedre tion with said verticallyirho vable backing mean Thief Utilizingsaid reinforcing member to constitute a walk-way on the interi-z her, a flexible sealing element attached to the casing side wall and to the lower end portion of said vertically-movable backing member, a second flexible sealing element attached to said vertically-movable backing member and to the peripheral portion of the piston, and an inspection Walk-way extending circumierentially around the interior, of the outwardly ofiset portion of the casing side wall, at level which is adjacent the lower end of said vertically-movable backing member when the piston is at the end of its upward stroke.

2. A gas holder of the kind described in claim 1, in which said walk-way is formed by an an- JOHN H. WIGGINS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file or this patent:

FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 4,790 Great Britain of 1823 573,423 Germany Mar. 31'. 1933 

